Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir- A PS2 Gem Somehow Made Shinier

Odin Sphere was one of the best and most underappreciated games on the PS2. If this month’s PS4 re-release Leifthrasir had simply been a remaster of the original game, with higher resolutions and framerates, you would still be reading a wholeheartedly positive review. It is a visual delight, a unique tactical experience, and the perfect example of how expert presentation can make a by-the-numbers story a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

To those of you who are already familiar with the original game and wondering if the PS4 version is worth your money, let me just say two things: Mercedes doesn’t suck, and picking up a book you’ve already completed puts you at the start of the Epilogue, not at Chapter 1. There. Go. Stop reading this and buy the game.

For the rest of you…

The Cult of Playability: What Makes Cult Games So Great

The term “Cult Classic” is well-known within the realm of film, as well as other forms of art and entertainment. Video games, of course, also have their fair share of cult classics. Games like Earthbound and Mirror’s Edge have relatively small but incredibly passionate fan bases. These are fans who will fill their lives with the culture found in games like these: fan art, merch, music, writing… and more. For them, it really is like being in a cult.

And I think that’s a fantastic thing.

Female Woman Ladies Part Two

In this two parter, Volcano Bakemeat Radio looks at playable female characters. We talk about why Portal is a little like Mean Girls, what it’s like when a game chooses your gender (and race) randomly, and which characters we’d like to see gender swapped.

Female Woman Ladies Part One

In this two parter, Volcano Bakemeat Radio looks at playable female characters. We talk about why Fable 2 made Jessica cry, why a X-Com operative code-named Mama Bear might be Jeff’s favorite woman in video games, and why Paige still feels vaguely uncomfortable playing Skull Girls

What do voice actors owe us?

I was reading a thread on Reddit’s /r/masseffect recently. A fan had met Lance Henriksen at a horror con. They waved and said “Admiral Hackett.” Henriksen smiled and came over to shake his hand. As he was leaving, he said “Hackett out.” It made the fan’s day.

That lead to a discussion of how cool the series’ voice actors were in general. One commenter, though, mentioned an exception: Yvonne Strahovski (who plays the game’s resident ice queen, Miranda).

This lady.

Her crime? Not caring about the games.

Escapism: A Love Story

Video games have always been there. Sure, I’ve had the occasional affair with a book, and I’m never going to deny that I, too, have done the late-night call to Netflix or Hulu. But if something is going on in my life where I need to step away and absorb myself in another world, a book is just too easy to let my mind wander, and a show is just a mind numbing experience to get through a few hours without meaning anything. But video games have always, always been there.